qzmmur

?> qzmmur

qzmmur

| | |

He fired into its head; the dart took effect in...

Saturday 15 May 2010

He fired into its head; the dart took effect in secondsHe cradled the animal?s unconscious body to the ground Cut its throat! roared Jason Bourne in silence No, countered his other self, David WebbBlame the trainer, not the animal Get away from me, David! Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 9 1 The cacophony spun out of control as the crowds swelled through the amusement park in the countryside on the outskirts of BaltimoreThe summer night was hot, and nearly everywhere faces and necks were drenched with sweat, except for those screaming as they plunged over the crests of a roller coaster, or shrieking as they plummeted down the narrow, twisting gullies of racing water in torpedo sledsThe garishly colored, manically blinking lights along the midway were joined by the grating sounds of emphatic music metallically erupting out of an excess of loudspeakers? calliopes presto, marches prestissimoPitchmen yelled above the din, nasally hawking their wares in monotonic harangues while erratic explosions in the sky lit up the darkness, sending sprays of myriad fireworks cascading over a small adjacent black lakeRoman candles bright, arcing bursts of fire blinding A row of Hit-the-Gong machines drew contorted faces and thick necks bulging with veins as men sought furiously and frequently in frustration to prove their manhood, crashing heavy wooden mallets down on the deceitful planks that too often refused to send the rolex submariners little red balls up to the bells Across the way, others shrieked with menacing enthusiasm as they crashed their Dodge ?Em carts into the whirling, surrounding vehicles, each collision a triumph of superior aggression, each combatant a momentary movie star who overcomes all odds against himCorral at 9:27 in the evening in a conflict that meant nothing Farther along was a minor monument to sudden death, a shooting gallery that bore little resemblance to the innocent minimum-caliber variety found in state fairs and rural carnivals Instead, it was a microcosm of the most lethal equipment of modern weaponryThere were mocked-up versions of MAC-10 and Uzi machine pistols, steel-framed missile launchers and antitank bazookas, and, finally, a frightening replica of a flamethrower spewing out harsh, straight beams of light through billowing clouds of dark smokeAnd again there were the perspiring faces, continuous beads of sweat rolling over maniacal eyes and down across stretched necks?husbands, wives and children?their features grotesque, twisted out of shape as if each were blasting away at hated enemies?wives, husbands, parents and offspringAll were locked in a never-ending war without meaning?at 9:29 in the evening, in an amusement park whose theme was violence Unmitigated and unwarranted, man against himself and all his hostilities, the worst, of course, being his fears A slender figure, a cane gripped in his right rolex replica watches hand, limped past a booth where angry, excited customers were hurling sharp-pointed darts into balloons on which were stenciled the faces of public figuresAs the rubber heads exploded the bursts gave rise to fierce arguments for and against the sagging, pinched remnants of political icons and their dart-wielding executionersThe limping man continued down the midway, peering ahead through the maze of strollers as if he were looking for a specific location in a hectic, crowded, unfamiliar part of townHe was dressed casually but neatly in a jacket and sport shirt as though the oppressive heat had no effect on him and the jacket was somehow a requirementHis face was the pleasant face of a middle-aged man, but worn with premature lines and deep shadows under the eyes, all of which was the result more of the life he had led than of the accumulated yearsHis name was Alexander Conklin, and he was a retired covert operations officer in the Central Intelligence AgencyHe was also at this moment apprehensive and consumed with anxietyHe did not wish to be in this place at this hour, and he could not imagine what catastrophic event had taken place that forced him to be there Robert Ludlum ?? THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 10 He approached the pandemonium of the shooting gallery and suddenly gasped, stopping all movement, his eyes locked on a tall, balding man about his own age with a seersucker jacket slung over his shoulderMorris Panov coco chanel graffite hobo bag was walking toward the thunderous counter of the shooting gallery from the opposite direction! Why? What had happened? Conklin snapped his head around in every direction, his eyes darting toward faces and bodies, instinctively knowing that he and the psychiatrist were being watchedIt was too late to stop Panov from entering the inner circle of the meeting ground but perhaps not too late to get them both out! The retired intelligence officer reached under his jacket for the small Beretta automatic that was his constant companion, and lurched rapidly forward, limping and flailing his cane against the crowd, smashing kneecaps and prodding stomachs and breasts and kidneys until the stunned, angry strollers erupted in successive cries of shock, a near riot in the makingHe then rushed forward, slamming his frail body into the bewildered doctor and shouting into Panov?s face through the roars of the crowd, ?What the hell are you doing here?? ?The same thing I assume you areDavid, or should I say Jason? That?s what the telegram said ?It?s a trap!? There was a piercing scream overriding the surrounding meleeBoth Conklin and Panov instantly looked over at the shooting gallery only yards awayAn obese woman with a pinched face had been shot in the throatThe crowd went into a frenzyConklin spun around trying to see where the shot came from, but the panic was at full pitch; he saw nothing but rushing figuresHe grabbed Panov fake chanel handbags and propelled him through the screaming, frantic bodies across the midway and again through the strolling crowds to the base of the massive roller coaster at the end of the park, where excited customers were edging toward the booth through the deafening noise ?My God!? yelled Panov?Was that meant for one of us?? ?Maybe maybe not,? replied the former intelligence officer breathlessly as sirens and whistles were heard in the distance ?You said it was a trap!? ?Because we both got a crazy telegram from David using a name he hasn?t used in five years? Jason Bourne! And if I?m not mistaken, your message also said that under no condition should we call his houseYou move better than I do, Mo, so move those legs of yoursGet out of here?run like a son of a bitch and find a telephoneA pay phone, nothing traceable!? ?What?? ?Call his house! Tell David to pack up Marie and the kids and get out of there!? ?What?? ?Someone found us, Doctor! Someone looking for Jason Bourne?who?s been looking for him for years and won?t stop until he?s got him in his gun sightYou were in charge of David?s messed-up head, and I pulled every rotten string in Washington to get him and Marie out of Hong Kong aliveThe rules were broken and we were found, MoYou and me! The only officially recorded connections to Jason Bourne, address and occupation unknown ?Do you know what you?re saying, Alex?? ?You?re goddamned right I doGet out of here, white leather chanel handbag Doctor